Operating stand for track appliances



S. W. HAYES.

OPERATING STAND FOR TRACK APPLIANCES.

APPLICATION FILED 1uLY 2s,1919.

1,406,557. A Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

' ATTORNEY UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

STANLEY W. HAYESfOF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

OPERATING STAND FOR TRACK APPLIANCES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

Application filed July 23, 1919. Serial No. 312,685.

Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, have invented the following described new, and useful Improvements in Operating Stands for Track Appliances.

One object of my invention is to provide a track appliance operating stand which is adapted to be carried by only a single tie. For a. considerable number of years immediately preceding my invention, it has been customary to mount substantially all operating stands on two adjacent rail ties. A stand carried by a single tie is desirable for each tie to which the operating stand is fixed must be, of necessity, of a greater length than the other ties of the road; accordingly a two-tie stand requires two ties of more than usual length whereas a single tie stand requires only one tie of more than rail length. As will be obvious, the greater number. of ties of uncommon size that must be provided, the greater is the diiiic-ulty, bother, and expense of erecting and maintaining an operating stand.

The operating stand of my invention is particularly designed for operating such track appliances as require no great force to hold the appliances in position due to the fact that it is adapted to be carried by a single tie; except for the reduced factor of safety due to carrying the stand on only one tie, rather than on two as is more customary, my invention is applicable to other types of track appliances as well. Certain well known forms of derails require substantially no force to hold the appliances in a given position and the only function of the operating standtherefor is to throw the derail block back and forth between its operative and inoperative positions; such derails are one example of the appliances with which my invention may well be used for the unexpected failure of the stand support is not likely to result in accidents. In the case of most switches, on the other hand, it is necessary to hold the switch point against the stock rail in one of its ment of a train by the switch point; such switches are. examples of the appliances to which I regard my invention as less applicable because greater security, or security for a longer time, than is afforded by one tie, is generally regarded as desirable. Other objects of my invention are to provide a simple, compact and readily iconstructed and assembled operating stand and one of such a nature as to permit a strong attachment between the stand and tie, and

of such a nature as to secure the most near- 1y permanent attachment possible between the stand and a single tie.

In the accompanying drawing and the following description, I have illustrated and describedin detail the best embodiment of my invention of which I am now aware. Figure 1 is a perspective view of this oper- .ating stand. Figure 2 is also a perspective view of the same operating stand, the mova ble member thereof bein in a different position however and the target or vanes being omitted. Figure 8 is a plan view of the operating stand of Figure 1 showing the carrying tie, an adjacent .rail length, tie,

and the connecting rod for the track appliance. Figure 4 is a perspective view ofthe supporting member of the stand of the preceding figures. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the movable member of this stand. Figure 6 is a second perspective view of the member of Figure 4.

The tie L0 is the carrying tie for the operating stand of the drawing; this single tie l0 alone carries the stand. In Figure '3 I have also illustrated an adjacent tie 11, thus contrasting the carrying tie 10 with the rail length ties of which 11 is one. The operat ing stand consists in its complete and preferred form of five principal elements and only five principal elements; the supporting member 15, the movable member 16 carried directly thereby,the shaft 17 by which the movable member 16 is attached to the supporting member-15, the eye-bolt 18 providing the adjustment of the throw of the device, and the manual operating handle 19. The supporting member 15 is particularly illustrated in Figures 1, 4 and 6. As appears from these figures, the supporting member comprises a single base portion 22, which in. the instance illustrated comprises an enlarged flange in order to provide for a larger area of contact between the tie and the stand. At oneside of this base portion, and as close thereto as possible, the supporting member 15 is provided with bearing portions 23 and 2%, each of these bearing portions being provided with a Vertical shaft bearing and 26 respectively; these two shaft bearings are in vertical alignment and the portion 2&- is disposed below the planeof the base 22 in order that the means of connection to the track appliance may pass beneath the rails. The lower bearing portion 2% also provides a step bearing on its upper face as may be seen by a comparison of Figures 1 aud t. The movable member 16 rests between the bearing portions 23 and 2 1 and on the step bearing of 2 1, as appears from Figures land 2. The bearing portions 23 and 24; are preferably firmly fixed together by a portion only of a cylinder; this cylindrical portion and the bearing portionsare firmly fixed to the base portion 22 as parts of a unitary structure, by means of suitable ribs 31 or in any other suitable manner. The supporting member isprovided (preferably through and by means of an enlarged flange like 22-) with a lip extending downwardly at each side of the movable member 16. In order that the vertical line through the shaft bearings 25 and 26 may be as close to the base portion 22 as possible, I prefer to form the lip in two portions 34 and 85, or

as two lips 341 and 35, the lower bearing pen 1 tion 24 and the movable member 16 being placed between the two. Thelip extends downwardly over the same side of the carrying tie as the lower bearing portion 24; and is designed for contact with this side of the tie. In the base, and preferably in such an enlarged flange thereof as 22, there is provided a spike hole at eachside of the movable member 16, namely the holes appearing at 36 and 37; another or other spike holes 38 may beprovided for further safety; spikes are driven through these holes and into the tie. The spike holes 36 and 37 are disposed in a line substantially parallel with the side of the tie engaged by the lips 31 and As may be seen from the drawing, and as will be understood certainly when the complete construction of the stand has been described, the lip 34 and spike in spike hole 37, and also the lip 35 and the spike in spike hole 36, co-opei'ate together (in the last analysis irrespective of other securing means) as fulcrums and weights of levers, thereby holding the stand in position against the thrust of the connection to the track appliance. As may be seen from the figures, all the portions of the supporting member are parts of a single, integral, unitary, structure and such a, structure is possible by reasoniof the arrangement and disposition of the various portions of the separating member as before described.

6 r The movable member 16 (Figure 5) convertically disposed when the movable member 16 is in position in the supporting member 15; this cylindrical portion 40 extends between the bearingportions 23 and 24 and the lower end of the cylinder 40 rests on the step bearing 2&; thereby the weight of the member 16 is carried. The cylindrical portion iO is provided with a passage lengthwise therethrough as appears from Figure 5, for the reception of the shaft 17. At its lower end-the member 16 is provided with a lug 4:1 internally threaded to receive the threaded eye-bolt 18, which in turn is attached to the connecting rod 14 which goes to the track appliance to be operated by the stand in question. By reason of the threaded connection betweenfllS and 41, the eyebolt may project more or less from the member 16' and hence, in an obvious way, the

throw of the operating stand ma be changed. The lug 41 is integral wit the cylinder 40, and integral. with both of these parts and preferably reinforced by webs, is

a handle en a in )ortion 45' the webs are D b b 7 shown at 4-7. "The part 45 extends above the top of the cylinder 40 and is slightly spaced away therefrom (see Figure 5) in order that when assembled, the part 45 may extend along the bearing portion 23 of supporting member 15 (see Figures 1 and 2). The member 15 is provided with a passage 46 through which the manual operating handle 19 is pivoted (see Figures 1 and 2).- This handle 19 is bifurcated so as to directly and strongly engage the member 1.6 by extending over both faces of the part 45. Also one of the jaws of the bifurcated portion of the handle 19 extends some distance beyond the pivot, as appearsfrom Figure 2, and thereby is adapted to reach into one or the other of the two recesses 50 or 51 whereby the operating member 16 may be held at the limit of its movement in either direction. In order to move the member 16 from one position to the other, the handle 19 is elevated, that is, turned about its pivot until the ex tended portion of its jawpasses from the recess 50 (or 51); when the member 16 is turned to its other position and the handle 19 is released, the falling ofthe free end of the handle carries the extended jaw into the other notch '51 (or 50). lVhen the operating handle is in one of these two positions, the operating device may be locked by a padlock or key through the passage 52 in the portion 15, this passage 52 being immediately above the free end of the handle 19 when, and only when, the extended jaw of this handle is in notch 50 or notch 51, and accordingly when the operating stand is in one of its two extreme positions. 1 c l The movable member 16 is held in the sup porting member 15 by means of the simple cylindrical shaft 17 extending through the l passage, in the cylindrical portion 4:0 and through the bearings 25 and 26. The shaft 17 is fixed in position by the key bolt 57 which is preferably threaded. In Figure 5 the recess for this key bolt 57 is shown. The shaft 1'? comprises the target spindle and for this purpose may carry vanes 60 and may be provided with a polygonal terminal 61 for the reception of a lantern for night use.

The connecting rod 4A connecting the track appliance to its stand, may be lengthened or shortened by means of the screw threaded cup connection at 62.

The operation of the device will be understood from the description heretofore given; its operation is almost identical with the operation of track appliance operating stands common at the time of my invention. As will be understood the movable member 16 of the stand has two limiting positions and accordingly is designed to operate its track appliance between two limiting positions. The part 16 is both moved from one of these positions to the other by the handle 19 and held in either of these positions by the same handle working in engagement with the bearing portion 23.

It will be understood that while this embodiment of my invention is the best embodiment of my invention of which I am at present aware, this embodiment is merely illustrative of my invention and that my invention is not limited thereto. My inven tion on the other hand is set forth in the following claims for which I desire to secure Letters Patent of the United. States.

Claims- 1. A track appliance operating stand comprising a supporting member and a movable member carried thereby and provided with means for operating the track appliance, the stand being characterized by the sup porting member being provided with a spike hole and a lip at each side of the movable member in lines transversal of said tie whereby the stand is adapted to be carried by a single tie, the said lip or lips extending downwardly over one side of the carrying tie and the two spike holes being in a line substantially parallel with the said side of the tie.

2. -A track appliance operating stand comprising a supporting member consisting of a single base portion and bearing portions providing shaft bearings in vertical alignment, the lower bearing portion also providing a step bearing and the vertical line through the shaft bearings being close to said base portion, and a unitary movable member resting between said bearing portions and on said step bearing, said movable member being provided withmeans for connection to the track appliance to be operated, for engagement in the said shaft bearings, and for direct engagement of said movable member with an operating handle.

3. A track appliance operating stand comprising an integral supporting member consisting of a base portion adapted to carry the stand on a single tie and bearing portions providing shaft bearings in vertical alignment, the lower bearing portion also providing a step bearing below and at one side of said base portion and surrounding its shaft bearing, an integral movable member resting between said bearing portions and on said step bearing, said movable member being provided with means for connection to the track appliance to be operated and for direct engagement of the movable member with an operatin handle, and a shaft extending through said shaft bearings and movable member.

4. A track appliance operating stand comprising an integral supporting member consisting of an enlarged flange base portion and two bearing portions providing shaft bearings in vertical alignment, the lower bearing portion also providing a step bearing below and at one side of said base por tion and surrounding its shaft bearing, the said supporting member being provided with a spike hole and a lip at each side of the lower bearing portion whereby the stand is adapted to be carried by a single tie, the said lip or lips extending downwardly at the same side of the carrying tie as the lower bearing portion in contact with that side of the tie and the two spike holes being in the flange and in a line substantially parallel with the said side of the tie, an integral movable member resting between said bearing portions and on said step bearing, said movable member being provided with means for connection to the track appliance to be operated and for direct engagement of the movable member with a movable operating handle, and a shaft extending through aid shaft bearings and said movable mem- In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

STANLEY W. HAYES. 

